Tombstone

What Was It About? “A successful lawman’s plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.“

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Memorable Performances: Not many performances were better than what Val Kilmer did as Doc Holliday in this film. Kurt Russell was better in MIRACLE, but that might be the only performance of his which was better than what he did as Wyatt Earp. What makes their performances better is to watch the special features where they talk about all the history behind the film and how they ensured they stayed true to it, even pointing out things that other films did differently.

Potential Nominations for Film Quest ’13:

Best Supporting Actor – Val Kilmer

Best Actor – Kurt Russell

Favorite Parts: The Shootout At The OK Corral was good, as were all of the scenes where Doc Holliday had dialogue with anyone who had a gun on them.

The Regrettable Aspects: The montages where Wyatt Earp and his guys were riding around, taking down the cowboys. Soooo cheesy. Same goes with Dana Delany’s interactions in just about every scene she’s in.

Would I watch it again? I would if someone wanted to have a movie marathon with westerns or Val Kilmer movies. I probably wouldn’t seek this film out for other reasons, though.

To Whom Would I Recommend It? I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it (age appropriate, obviously). It’s the kind of movie where the person doesn’t have to have any interest in westerns to enjoy it, and the violence is done in such a way as to not be offensive to people who don’t like violent movies.

Other Recommendations:

– 3:10 To YUMA – I’d go with the new version, starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. For my money, it’s far better than the original, which doesn’t typically happen.

– The MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE – It’s an old western with a great story, and not a traditional one at that. Great performances by Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne.

– HIGH NOON – Definitely a classic. Great performance by Gary Cooper.

If you’ve got recommendations for alternatives to TOMBSTONE, or for other similar films, let me know!